North Dovani

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Chinasa: President Kyu-Bong has been reelected as President of the Federation following a election campaign that saw him pitted against former Socialist president Ikem who had become the Socialist Party candidate in the hopes of banking on his previous popularity as president to defeat Kyu-Bong, who himself was also popular in polls. But it seems many North Dovanians had either forgotten or moved past the former president as he was defeated by incbument Kyu-Bong with 60% of the vote against Ikem his 40%. Furthermore in the Congress of Deputies the Democratic North Dovani party managed to win a descisive victory, capturing a absolute majority of seats in the lower house. In the upper house they have also expanded their plurality. Following this result President Kyu-Bong has announced that he will work with the DND in forming a new government, ditching the center-right ALD as a coalition partner following the ALD its electoral loss. ALD president Chibuike Diji was dissapointed with the President's decision, stating that his party will "provide spirited oppossition to the President on areas that we disagree with." President Kyu-Bong did however receive criticism shortly after his electoral victory, when a journalist asked him "what his approach in governance would be during his last term in office" to which he responded "i dont believe this would be my last term." The constitution states that no president may serve more then two consecutive terms, sparking immediate outrage from the Socialist Party and other oppossition parties who see the president's remarks as highly innapropriate. 2 hours after these comments the President's Press Office clarified that the president "was tired after a long election night" and "underlines the importance of respecting our constitution and institutions."


The second round of the presidential election


The election of the Congress of Deputies

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Chinasa: After nearly 4 years of deployment the 106th Air Assault Platoon has completely withdrawn from the Kuzaki Republic, marking an end for the controversial peacekeeping mission. The initial goal of the deployment was to bolster defenses of the Kuzaki capital and prevent genocide or war crimes in the republic, which was at that time struggling to defend its territory against both New Endralonian and Kizenian attacks. Now the last 50 soldiers of the 106th AAP has departed the Kuzaki Republic, being granted permission by the Kizenian government to fly over its airspace to properly withdraw from the country. In the 4 years of deployment official records show that North Dovanian forces have only once actually seen combat when a suburb of the capital was under fire, deploying handheld anti air systems to combat incoming rocket attacks. Besides that small bit of combat the 500 deployed soldiers have only advised Kuzaki forces and trained them within the confines of the capital district. North Dovanian financial and humanitarian aid furthermore aided Kuzaki forces in forcing both New Endralon and Kizenia to sign a ceasefire. With this ceasefire signed and hostilities in the Kuzaki Republic at an end President Kyu-Bong signed a decree that formally ordered the withdrawal of all North Dovanian forces from NEK territory, officially ending the combat and support mission of the 106th AAP.

Yesterday the last transport aircraft flew towards the military airport near Jinppo, officially marking the end of the North Dovanian mission to Kuzaki.

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Chinasa: Thousands of North Dovanians have gathered in the capital of Chinasa as news spread of a controversial bill presented to the Congress of Deputies which would allow the president to run for a 3rd and 4th consecutive term. The bill was presented by the Democratic North Dovani party shortly after President Kyu-Bong announced he would join the DND, which made it so that President Kyu-Bong would change from being a independent to being part of the largest party in the country. The DND then proposed the bill, which would introduce a referendum on a series of constitutional ammendments that would see the presidential term extended from 4 to 5 years and extend presidential powers of appointment. The ammendment would also "reset" all the terms of previous or current presidents, effectively clearing the way for Kyu-Bong to run for 2 more 5 year terms. With presidential remarks shortly after the elections already worrying oppossition figures about the prospects of authoritarianism this move further angered the oppossition, which called for President Kyu-Bong to resign and for the bill to be withdrawn. Thousands took to the street to protest the move, with many former Kyu-Bong voters now also joining in with oppossition figures to protest these recent moves.

More people continue flooding into the protest which continues to grow in size. The Office of the President issued a statement stating that "The proposed piece of legislation was proposed by a individual deputy and has received no endorsement from the President." Press officials from the DND have refused to comment on the specific bill, instead noting that "any deputy is allowed his or her own portfolio and freedom within it to propose legislation that fits their believes and views." Socialist leader and former president Okeli Ikem has called for President Kyu-Bong to resign, stating that " when it was time for me to go i transfered the office of President to Kyu-Bong peacefully, respecting the constitution and our newfound democracy, with this new bill that transition is put into question."

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Chinasa: After months of escalating protests and revalations of far reaching corruption President Kyu-Bong has resigned, paving the way for Prime Minister Chee to take over duties as acting-president. President Kyu-Bong had reportedly wanted to stay in power but was pressured by members within his own government and some within the military to step down as more and more people joined nationwide protests. Each week new revalations about bribery, nepotism and embezzlement came to light directly involving the President, with oppossition figures increasing pressure on him to resign as well. Now with Prime Minister Chee as acting-president he has announced that he has had several meetings with oppossition and government figures about the next step, which will likely include new elections.

But this whole affair has sparked another debate, with some calling for increased powers for the parliament and an end to ethnic-politics, which are seen by many as two of many reasons that power accumalated within the presidency in recent years. According to acting-president Chee all regional leaders as well as political parties have indicated a willingness to work on constitutional ammendments to adress these issues, with "nothing of the table" according to Chee. Now former president Kyu-Bong has been arrested by federal police on charges of corruption and embezzlement, likely to be held for at least 2 weeks and to be tried in a district court in the Senda Region. It is the first time ever that a former North Dovanian leader is charged by North Dovani itself, somewhat showing the progress made in strengthening national institutions in the last few years.

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Chinasa: After half a year of negotiations, debate and drafting, the new de-ethnicized constitution has been adopted by voters subsequently followed by the first elections under its new wing. This first election has seen the newly formed People's Democratic Congress or PDC win a majority, winning 227 seats of the 450 in the new Chamber of Deputies and thus winning a small 2 seat majority to govern alone. This also ensures that its leader, Chi Nweke, will be elected President of the Republic as the president will under this new constitution be elected by the lower house. This new constitution reformed North Dovani into a decentralized unitary state, with the federal regions abolished and the provinces reestablished. All provinces will receive some designated tasks, these being sustainable spatial development, including water management, environment, energy and climate, regional accessibility and regional public transport, regional economy, Cultural infrastructure and preservation and they also oversee district governments. The provinces also have a set government under the new constitution, gaining a directly elected Provincial Governor, Provincial Council with either 24, 58 or 116 seats depending on population and their own provincial government headed by the governor. Below the provinces will be the districts, subdivided under urban and rural districts. Urban districts can be further subdivided in city regions while rural districts cannot. With this new unitary structure and the country not divided by ethnicity but geography the writers of the constitution hope that ethnicity will play little role in government and allow the national government to take a more active role in ensuring that it stays out of politics. The country will also be renamed to the North Dovanian Republic.

On the new national level the parliament is to be reformed into a bicameral system, with a lower house "Chamber of Deputies" and a upper house "Council of Provinces". The Chamber of Deputies will be reduced in size from the previous lower house, having 450 seats instead of 620. Furthermore the share of proportional seats has increased, in the hopes of encouraging better representation in parliament. The Council of Provinces is appointed every 5 years by the provinces, with each province allowed 5 seats amounting to a total of 110 seats. It will only be able to pass or reject chamber legislation, thus only having limited influence. The Presidency is to be combined with the head of government position, making the new President of the Republic both HOS and HOG. Instead of popular vote however the new president is elected by a majority in the Chamber of Deputies for a set 5 year term, renewable indefinitely. This makes the North Dovanian system unique but does still classify it as a parliamentary system, in theory giving parliament more power then before. The president will inherit all powers from both the former presidency and prime ministerial positions.

The People's Democratic Congres, now the ruling party of North Dovani, is a merger between the Democratic North Dovani party and several regional parties with different ideologies. It still classifies itself as Big-tent and has thus inherited a big voter base, securing a parliamentary majority in at least one chamber. Soon to be President Chi Nweke has stated that he seeks to govern as a centrist, "laying the groundwork for future governments to work on and continuing our economic and diplomatic successes."


The results for the Chamber of Deputies, with the PDC securing a narrow 2 seat absolute majority


The new State Emblem of the North Dovanian Republic

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Chinasa: The first two D54 frigates previously ordered by the Ministry of Defense have now entered service into the North Dovanian Naval Forces. The frigates, named the DBS Chjoki and the DBS Chukwuma both entered service last week after a development cycle of nearly 10 years which saw the International Naval Corporation, Jonsoe Aerospace and Naval Solutions and Northern Sea Systems win a contract to develop a new guided-missile frigate for the navy, which would become the first somewhat modern navy ship in over a century. Now, 9 years later, the consortium of the three companies has delivered the first two of the D54 frigates ordered by the Ministry of Defense after years of research, development, trial and error and nearly 2 years of construction. The ships were constructed in the new government subsidized Kanjoe Shipyards in western North Dovani which had been expanded and modernized to fascilitate the construction of the new ships and ships in the future. Now with the DBS Cjoki and DBS Chukwuma officially entering service it marks the beginning of a new era for the North Dovanian navy, which has set on a path of modernization and expansion. The Ministry of Defense, satisfied with the results of sea trials from the D54, has also entered talks with the consortium for the additional procurement of 8 D54's, which will likely be constructed over the next 5 years and thus mean a total of 10 D54 frigates in North Dovanian service. The D54 is primarily a air defense frigate, with medium-range air defense capabilities consisting of advanced radar and vertically launched surface-to-air missiles. The frigate also possesses some limited but present anti submarine capabilities. According to the High Admiral of Naval Forces Kye Hyun-Shik the frigate is to be primarily used in a defensive posture, patrolling North Dovanian waters, helping in anti piracy missions and protecting sea lanes.

The Ministry of Defense and Military Forces Command have also made a notable request in its procurement system named MAPS, with the two joinlt putting out a contract for the development of a new diesel-electric submarine. With that contract just put out no companies have yet publicly responded to the listing but it signals the continued efforts by the MoD and MFC to continue modernizing and expanding the navy and other branches, with the addition of submarines it would mean the first time that the Naval Forces possess a submersible fleet in over a century.

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Chinasa: The National Reorganization Act has passed the Council of Provinces, marking the last major piece of legislation that was needed in order to transition from the federation to the new unitary form of government under the new constitution. The NRA, a massive 1000 page bill to rename and reorganize key institutions, allows for institutions like the military, security services, ministries and government alligned institutions to be incorporated within the new unitary structure of the state, ensuring that their responsibilities and powers match their new role. Notable changes can be seen within the military in the military police branch, with the Federal Guard to be renamed into the Territorial Guard and while serving the same role in terms of customs and battlefield duties the new Territorial Guard will be actively helping the newly reformed National Police in solving serious crime or combatting it. The Territorial Guard also gains the additional responsibility to protect the country from terrorist threats together with the new National Security Service. The new National Police will be the only police force in the country, subdivided into regional branches serving a set of provinces in that region. No longer will provinces operate their own police, instead all previous local assets are now nationalized into the new National Police and divided amongst its subdivisions.

The former Federal Security Service has been renamed into the National Security Service but has retained its set of responsibilities in preventing terrorist attacks, providing domestic surveilance and protecting vital infrastructure and institutions. One last major change is the executive, with the Federal Cabinet renamed into simply the "Cabinet" and ministries no longer titled "Federal Ministry" but instead titled "Department", with for example the former Ministry of Defense now titled the Department of Defense. This bill was needed to finalize the transition to a unitary state, having been negotiated over in the last few years. With its passing in the upper house it is set to be fully implemented by april 1st.

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Chinasa: The National Banking Act has passed the Council of Provinces, marking a new era for banking in North Dovani. The act, proposed by the ruling PDC and a hallmark promise of president Nweke, seeks to break up the monopoly that the three largest banks in the country currently hold on the banking sector. The Nweke government had long championed the idea of breaking up the banks and encouraging regional banking, largely to diversify the financial market and prevent the three banks from destabilizing the entire financial system if one would end up in financial trouble. To achieve this goal the National Banking Act nationalizes the three banks, the Northern Development Bank, Chinasa Investment Bank and the State Bank (formerly federal bank). This nationalization costs over 20 billion, meaning a massive expenditure for the state. But according to President Nweke it is a expenditure thats needed to protect and strengthen the financial sector. With the nationalization nearly all of the banking sector ended up in state hands. But not for long, as the second phase of the NBA kicked in as soon as the first was finalized. The act makes it easier for regional/provincial banks to set up shop, granting subsidies and relaxing regulations on regional banking and actively aiding entrepeneurs seeking to establish their own bank. 50% of all assets from the three nationalized banks were furthermore divided amongst over 13 smaller already existing regional banks, strengthening their position on the market. The remaining 50% of assets were diverted to the newly created "National Investment Bank" or NIB, which under this reform becomes the only bank that can operate nationally. This means that the former NDB, CIB and SB cease to exist and are merged into the new NIB. The National Investment Bank will be further divided into 3 regional branches, east, center and west. Its primary goal will not be regular banking activity, but instead investing in local projects to improve local economies or aid other fully regional banks. People can still open accounts with the NIB but bussinesses cant, ensuring that consumers have one national bank to choose from when deciding which bank to join.

With this reform the government seeks to regionalize banking and diversify the sector, ensuring that not all banking activity concentrates into just a few national banks. This way the financial sector as a whole is expected to be more stable, but it also has a downside. With the diversification it is expected that concrete action in the banking sector, be it regulatory or monetary wise, will be harder to accomplish with many different parties at the negotiating table. Nevertheless the reform passed the Council of Provinces, with the PDC gaining support from the ALD, allowing the reform to pass. The Social Democrats voted against, arguing that such a fragmented banking landscape would potentially lead to consumers gaining a less favorable position in the market. They also argued the pricetag of 20 billion is to much, making it hard for the national government to gain enough finances to enforce other projects in the country. The Department of Financial Services has lead the full implementation of the reforms.

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Chinasa: The airforce continues its path of modernization and expansion as the DoD confirms the additional order of 100 KD-11 air-superiority fighters for the airforce. In addition a newly in development jet now named the SD-18 was also revealed following speculation about the project as researchers found a contract for the development of a new strike fighter in the MAPS system. The project seeks to create a heavy class strike fighter capable of performing air to ground strikes to aid troops on the ground while also providing capabilities for heavier independent strikes. In advance of this desire the Northern Aerospace Company won the contract to develop the aircraft, which has thus been dubbed the SD-18. Observers have noted however that the first test flights seem to confirm that the aircraft isnt entirely new, with it having a striking resemblance with the Su-30 from Trigunia. Some have noted that it is more then likely that the SD-18 is a heavily modified version of the SU-30, which would make sense as the NAC, while having experience with the joint development of the KD-11, does not have the experience to create a jet from scratch many experts predict. Furthermore the engine of the new SD-18 is expected to be delivered by PRIME Limited, a subdivision of the Deltarian car manufacturer PRIME, which has been specializing in aerospace en ground vehicle engines for decades. With PRIME delivering the engine it is expected that the SD-18 will be a succes, with airforce colonel Ugoorji Chinua noting that this would finally give the airforce ground strike capability, something it long lacked as the KD-11 is primarily a air superiority jet.

With these new expansions and projects the military industrial complex is also developing, with many defense contractors announcing record profits as the military reforms and modernizations keep on extending in the country. Companies like the NAC are also gaining valuable experience in designing and constructing their own equipment, mainly using Trigunian designs and adapting them for now in order to become more skilled in designing and developing their own full designs. The SD-18 procurement is still in development stage, with the DoD indicating that if the jet proves to be a succes it will order at least 58 of them to be used by the airforce. The project has so far received 2 billion in state funding with NAC already having conducted several test flights. The 100 additional KD-11 jets will be jointly assembled by the NAC and the kalistani AeroKal and are expected to be delivered in two batches of 50, with the final KD-11 scheduled to be delivered in 6 years time. The SD-18 is planned to enter serial production in 7 years time, with testing still in its early stages.

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Naju: The new naval shipyard in Naju is a fact. The district council of the small coastal district in western North Dovani approved the construction of a new "combined shipyard" to be operated by the government owned "United Shipyard Corporation". The national Department of Trade and Industry had issued a request with the Naju district council to approve the selling of the terrain to construct the shipyard. The department wanted to do it through a consensual way, offering the district 120% of the market value of the land in exchange for approving the sale. While the department would have been able to confiscate the land, it had been instructed by Secretary Obie Afamefula to do it in a democratic way and also allow the district to gain some additional funds. It has been a express wish of the President as well to give responsibility to district and provincial councils wherever possible. The Naju district council agreed to the sale, which means that the current ship storage wharf is to be sold with a additional plot of land sold along it for the planned expansions. The Department of Trade and Industry will work with the Department of Defense to construct a new "combined yard" which seeks to leave space for both the construction of civilian ships (mainly cargo ships) and military vessels. The project is expected to cost the state nearly 2.1 billion with the USC also contributing around 100 million to that sum. Once completed, the shipyard is to be operated by a variety of small operators for the civilian side of the shipyard and by the USC for the military side. It will also be the second major shipyard in the country, with the Jinppo shipyard having ben traditionally the only major shipyard in the country. The plan fits into the governments goal to expand its shipbuilding capacity while also encouraging and actively supporting the civilian shipbuilding sector, with North Dovani becoming particularly adept and big in the icebreaker construction. This thanks in large part to the neccesity for icebreakers near the North Dovanian coast.